10 Low Light Indoor Trees—And Why They Like Low Light

A tree makes a real statement indoors, but if you have low lighting, choose carefully or it’ll be a browning, wilting statement! Many trees grow tall to compete for sunlight and suffer without it. But these low-light indoor trees are cheerful in the shade.

Why these tall houseplants are happy in low light

Maybe you need a statement piece for your living room, or maybe you’re turning your bedroom into a jungle. Maybe you want to impress visitors with stately palms in your entryway. Maybe you’re trying to make return-to-office feel a little more relaxing.

But you just don’t have a good window! (Or it’s already crowded with sun-lovers, and you’ve said “scooch over!” one too many times.)

Never fear, lonely shady corners: There are plenty of indoor trees that can tolerate low light—or even love it.

Many of them originally grew in jungles or rainforests, which are so thickly clustered that it's tough for any one plant to get a lot of sun. So they adapted to their jungle life—and your living room.

10 of the best low-light indoor trees

Some of these plants love sitting in the shadows. Others might grow slower in low light than in sunnier spots, but they won’t show signs of stress in shade. (If they do, read the section below on “How to spot problems with your low-light trees—and how to fix them.”)

Not all of these plants are officially, scientifically trees, if you ask a fussy botanist. But they’re all tall houseplants that look treeish or at least take up a lot of vertical space.

1. The Parlor Palm

Cool factoids

This lovely lady has also been popular for quite some time—ever since the 1800s, when wealthy Victorians would keep parlor palms in their parlor rooms to show off how fancy and sophisticated they were.

Its long, shiny, frilly leaves are deep green and beautiful. You might not have a parlor, but you can have a parlor palm. Then if you get any time travelers, they’ll be really impressed. (People from the present will think it’s gorgeous, too.)

This indoor tree’s favorite low lighting

The parlor palm likes bright indirect light, like a north-facing window. But it’s actually quite happy and healthy even in shady areas and darker rooms.

Safe for pets?

Unsurprisingly for such a house-tamed plant, this pretty palm is safe for your little critters!

Where to buy

Take a look at Pafe’s large, 2-3.5 foot parlor palm.

2. The Money Tree

Cool factoids

Once upon a time (ready for a botanical legend?), a poor farmer living in a swamp discovered a beautiful tree and began cultivating it. Then he got rich selling trees, and he credited this plant for his success. That’s the history of the money tree’s name—and its reputation as a good luck charm.

Keeping a Money Tree in your house might attract good fortune, starting with wealth but—depending on who you ask—also including better less, less stress, and even fewer family fights. But the only benefit we can confirm is that the Money Tree will purify your air like nobody’s business.

The trunks are often several money trees braided together to “trap” the luck in the braid (you can try this with your hair, too, and with any luck you’ll look really cute).

Safe for pets?

It’s nontoxic! Instead, maybe its good luck will help your funny cat videos get more views on TikTok.

This indoor tree’s favorite low lighting

Both shade and bright indirect light will bring good luck to your money tree’s rich, fulfilling life.

Where to buy it?

For good luck, take a chance on Pafe’s extra-large money tree.

3. The ZZ Plant

ZZ plants can be a lot of different sizes, but they can get up to 4 or 5 feet which makes them tree-adjacent, at minimum, and they look awesome either way. The older leaves are dark, rich green, and the new ones are bright, light green, making a striking contrast.

This tall houseplant’s favorite low lighting

Mr. ZZ is super flexible. He likes direct light, indirect light, and shade. Plop him anywhere in your home and he’ll be a happy camper. Place him by your bed and you’re sure to get some extra zzz’s tonight thanks to his air-purifying superpowers.

Cool factoids

This plant’s scientific name is Zamioculcas zamiifolia, and most of us can’t pronounce that properly so we stick with ZZ.

In Feng Shui philosophy, the ZZ plant brings good fortune, especially if it’s in a southeast corner.

Unlike a lot of the plants on this list, ZZ doesn’t mind dry air.

Safe for pets?

It’s only mildly toxic, but it can cause gastrointestinal upset.

Where to buy?

For good fortune, check out Pafe’s full-size 3-4.5 foot ZZ plant.

4. The Kentia Palm

This classic palm has very long, flat, slender leaves that cluster thickly and curve elegantly. Its overall appearance is stately and lovely.

Cool factoids

Like the Parlor Palm, the Victorians loved Kentia because it’s gorgeous and grows well inside. It was a status symbol, kept not only in parlors but even in ballrooms.

It originally came from Lord Howe Island, where it was used in cultural ceremonies.

It grows up to 50 feet in the wild, but fewer indoors. Ours is 7-10 feet!

This indoor tree’s favorite low lighting

Here’s another plant with flexible lighting preferences—she’ll settle down in shade, bright indirect light, and even full sun. Particularly happy in ballroom lighting so she looks her fanciest.

Safe for pets?

It’s nontoxic! You and Mittens can dance the night away under its shade.

Where to buy?

Check out Pafe’s truly huge 7-10 foot kentia palm.

5. The Lisa Cane

The Lisa Cane’s long, thick, glossy leaves are deep green, as is the trunk striped with leaf scarring lines.

Cool factoids

Lisa is pretty chill. Native to southeast Africa, her main selling points are her beauty and low maintenance. As far as low-light indoor trees go, you can't get much easier than this. In Hawaii, plant lovers use lava rocks in Lisa’s soil because of their perfect drainage.

This tall houseplant’s favorite low lighting

This easygoing lady doesn’t seek the spotlight (or the sunlight). She’s content in the shade and in bright indirect light.

Safe for pets?

Nope, not safe. Her only fault is that she’s not really a pet person.

Where to buy?

Check out Pafe’s Dracaena collection. Ships anywhere in the US except California.

6. The Dragon Tree

The dragon trees’ leaves are long and sharp like swords, and some are even edged with red, as if they have actually seen action in a battle. The leaves grow in round, spiky clusters. The rough, scaly trunks look like leathery dragon legs.

Cool factoids

The dragon tree’s sap, known as dragon’s blood, is a deep red. It’s been used to dye a lot of different things ranging from hair to violins. (There’s even a legend that it was used to dye Strativarius’s violins.) It was also used in medicine—including dressing wounds incurred by fighting dragons—and in embalming liquids.

The name comes from another, much older legend, this one about Hercules—he had to pick golden apples guarded by a dragon with 100 heads. He killed the dragon in classic Hercules fashion, and everywhere the blood spilled, a dragon tree sprouted.

This indoor tree’s favorite low lighting

The dragon tree likes bright indirect light or partial shade, like a dragon lounging at the mouth of his cave full of treasure.

Safe for pets?

Not safe, unless your pet is a dragon.

7. The Bamboo Palm

With tall, proud, brilliantly green fronds that burst out of their center trunk, this is probably what pops into your mind when we mention "palms." They bring an instant tropical vibe to their environment. The fun silhouette lets the bamboo palm stand on its own, or it can be used as a space filler with your other plants.

Cool factoids

In Feng Shui, the bamboo palm brings balance and represents growth. It’s great in an office because its fast upward growth symbolizes advancing your career.

This indoor tree’s favorite low lighting

Most palms need pretty decent sun, but not this guy. He can thrive in a variety of light conditions, including indirect low light.

Safe for pets?

Your pets are perfectly safe! It’s even big and heavy enough that your cat probably can’t knock it over.

Where to buy

Pafe Plants has a full-size, 5.5- to 7-foot tall bamboo palm.

8. Monstera deliciosa

This is one of the most popular houseplants that has ever lived. Your best friend, mom, and neighbor probably have Monstera. If you don’t, you’re behind the times. Monstera boasts huge, heart-shaped leaves with a unique characteristic: “fenestration” (splits and holes within the leaves).

Cool factoids

This lovely lady has an apt nickname: the Swiss cheese plant. Her fenestrations allow light to filter down to lower leaves—an adaptation developed when she lived in the dense underbrush of a tropical rainforest.

In the wild, it bears fruit that resembles a pineapple (hence the “deliciosa”!). Indoors, she might not produce fruit.

This indoor tall houseplant’s favorite low lighting

Monstera doesn't just like the shade, she will throw a fit if the direct sun hits her leaves for too long. More than four hours a day of harsh direct light will burn the distinctive foliage.

Safe for pets?

No, not even if your gerbil likes Swiss cheese.

Where to buy

Pafe Plant’s Monstera collection ranges from medium (1-2 feet) to full size (3 to 4.5 feet tall).

9. Schefflera Arboricola

The Abriocola has glossy, decorative foliage. When the sun hits her just right, the leaves glisten and shine proudly. Other times, it looks like a light summer rain fell upon the leaves, making them shiny and reflective (it’s so pretty, it likes to look at its own reflection). Arboricola’s forest, lime, and neon green splashes catch the light so well that the plant sometimes looks like it’s glowing.

Cool factoids

This beauty’s also known as the umbrella plant because of how the leaves hang and curve. But our favorite nickname is the octopus plant, because the leaves come in clumps of 8. (But don’t overwater her, or her roots will rot.

The Schefflera are hardy houseplants that can live a long time under the right circumstances. Some can live over 30 years old!

This indoor tall houseplant’s favorite low lighting

Like most Schefflera, Arboricola is happy in partial shade.

Safe for pets?

Like most Schefflera, this plant is dangerous to your pets.

Where to buy

Check out Pafe’s Schefflera collection!

10. Philodendron Selloum

The Philodendron Selloum’s distinctive, vibrant green leaves have interesting crinkled edges, so it’s got a lot of texture going on. Phil is sure to bring jungle vibes to your interior space!

Cool factoids

The word “philodendron” comes from two Greek words, “philo-” meaning loving and “dendron” meaning tree. Whoever named it knew you’d love this tree! (Philodendron grow in the forests of Central and South America, not Greece, but it’s common for botanists to use Latin and Greek words to name plants.)

This indoor tall houseplant’s favorite low lighting

Phil is pretty content in partial shade, but he’s also happy in bright indirect light. If you keep him in partial shade, let him sunbathe occasionally.

Safe for pets?

Sorry if this is mean, but Phil, you’re toxic.

Where to buy

Browse Pafe’s collection of philodendrons—there are tons of different types, and a lot of them are happy in low lighting.

Why some indoor trees are missing from this list

A lot of “low-light trees” articles list trees that prefer bright indirect light. This article is about trees that thrive–not just limp along–in full or partial shade. Here are some trees we excluded because they like too much light:

• Rubber tree
• Ficus alii
• Norfolk pine
• Majesty palm
  
• Ponytail palm
  
• Tropic snow
  
• False Aralia

Why all trees need some light

It’s all about the photosynthesis. Plants have little green cells called chloroplasts that turn carbon dioxide, water, and light energy (in the form of sunshine) into chemical energy (in the form of glucose), and they use that energy to stay alive and grow.

This process creates oxygen as a byproduct, so it keeps us alive too. There’s a reason we feel like plants are magical.

(If you want something that grows without any sunlight, try a pretty mushroom. But don’t eat it.)

Why you should buy indoor trees with low light

• They make an impressive statement for your indoor decor. They command attention and liven up a dreary room.
• They make an impressive statement about your plant prowess. (So you can keep a teeny air plant alive? I can keep an entire tree happy.) But that’s actually a decoy, because…
• They’re easy care! If you buy a tree that’s already tree-sized, then it’s already established. You don’t have to baby and pamper it to convince it to grow.
• They purify so much more air than little plants. Compare leaf size and number of leaves! That’s where this photosynthesis comes into play again—it doesn’t just keep the world healthy, it also keeps the air in your own personal living room fresh and clean.

Things to consider when buying tall indoor houseplants with low lighting

• Your own personal tastes! If you like the tree, get it. (We’re not here to protect your pocketbook, we’re here to share the joy of plants.)
• The room you’re putting it in. What shades of green would jibe with your décor? What width would fit around your furniture? How tall are your ceilings? What’s the vibe—good fortune, a rainy-day mood, or dragon fights?
• What kind of light you have. Check out our houseplant lighting guide to make sure your low-light space is right for these plants.
• The location of your air conditioner vents, space heaters, or any windows you like to open. Many low-light plants hate dry air and crave humidity. Vents and windows dry the air out. So pick a plant that doesn’t mind, or a spot that doesn’t dry out.

How to spot problems with your low-light indoor trees—and how to fix them

The leaves are curling and browning: This means your air is too dry.

Lots of low-light plants don’t mind the shade because they originally grew in the jungle or rainforest, and those are as humid as it gets. If your tree’s leaves curl and brown, your plant just misses her hometown.

Solutions:.

• Move the plant away from any vents, radiators, or windows, which tend to dry out the air.
• Give your plant more humidity! Mist your plant regularly, buy a literal humidifier, or put your plant on top of a pebble tray that’s full of water (which slowly evaporates upward into your pot)

The leaves are wilting or crispy: This means you’re overwatering or underwatering.

Most houseplants are tricky about water. They need a lot, especially if they came from the jungle or rainforest—but because they live in pots, they easily fall victim to root rot. Both can lead to wilting.

Solutions:

• Research your specific tall houseplant to make sure you’re following its wishes. If you’re not watering enough, set an alert on your phone or calendar to remember to check the top inch of the soil for moisture! If you’re watering too much, just ease up.
• Check your pot—does it have good drainage?
• Use faster-draining potting soil. Many trees have a recommended potting soil that can help you satisfy their specific thirst.

Leaves are sparse, small, dull, or falling off: This means your plant needs more light, sadly.

We promised these indoor trees like low light, but they do still need some light (remember, photosynthesis is keeping you both alive). Another telltale sign is if the plant leans towards the light—it’s trying to tell you something.

Don't panic - you might not have to move it!

Solutions:

• Wash your windows. Seriously, if they’re grubby, they’re blocking sunlight.
• Wash your plant. Seriously, take a soft damp cloth and gently swipe the tops of the leaves. If they’re dusty, they can’t take in the sunlight properly.
• Move your tree into better lighting.
• Give your tree a holiday—take it outside and let it recharge in better sun.
• Use a grow light. It’s not cheating, it’s just giving your plant some good old TLC so it feels at home in your house.

The leaves are yellow or brown: This means your plant is getting too much sun.

Some websites call this sunscald, but technically that refers to bark or fruit. Here we’re just talking about leaves changing color because the light is too bright or they get burned. The trick is to notice whether it’s happening all over the plant, or just where the sun touches it the most.

Solutions:

• Find your indoor tree a new spot to settle in, or just nudge it away from the sunlight.
• Add a sheer curtain to your window, filtering a bit more light. This is convenient if you really want to keep your low-light tree in the same spot, plus it classes up the joint.
• Trim any damaged leaves so they don’t keep sucking up your tree’s energy.

The tree isn’t growing, or the leaves are getting lighter: Your plant is malnourished.

Your low-light house tree isn’t getting enough nutrients from the soil. So it can’t grow at all, or it can’t sustain as many chloroplasts (that’s why it’s less green).

Solutions:

• Fertilize your tree. Research the best type of fertilizer for your indoor tree so you can give your tree its favorite food (they’re picky eaters).